SCORPION-FLIES 6l 



mon British species) strikingly mottled with brown 

 patches upon the transparent membrane. One species, 

 however, is wingless. It is known as Boreus hiemalis, 

 lives in moss and under stones, and has been variously 

 likened to a " large flea " and a " minute wingless 

 grasshopper." The length of the female, inclusive of 

 her rather long ovipositor, is less than a quarter of 

 an inch. 



The winged scorpion-flies, which are not uncommon 

 in woods, all belong to the genus Panorpa. In the 

 males the tip of the abdomen is curiously modified, 

 and is usually carried over the back like the tail of a 

 scorpion whence the popular name. Scorpion-flies 

 undergo a complete metamorphosis, the larva being of 

 the caterpillar type, but with the antennae and eyes 

 unusually prominent. They have three pairs of 

 thoracic legs, and (except in Boreus) a pair of prolegs 

 on each of the first eight abdominal segments. Their 

 mandibles are not grooved for suction. These facts 

 were first made known by the Austrian entomologist, 

 Brauer, who induced scorpion-flies to deposit their 

 eggs on damp earth in a covered vessel, and sub- 

 sequently reared the larvae. They spent most of their 

 time burrowing in the earth beneath pieces of meat 

 that had been provided for their food. In a wild state 

 they are found near the surface of the soil, where they 

 probably feed upon dead animals, especially insects. 

 Brauer also found many larvae of Panorpa communis, 

 associated with ants, in a decayed tree-stump that was 

 quite covered with moss. The larvae are said to be 

 active for about a month after hatching. Then they 

 become quiescent, but do not change to the pupa for 

 some weeks. The adults are also carnivorous, but 

 they capture living insects. 



